Transcript Highlights:

• I'm attending English as a Second Language classes for two years...
• I'm attending English as a Second Language classes for two years.
• The statewide IEP— ...special ed has lacked a permanent cabinet-level structure.
• One is for the administration at the state level, and then there's other that they call state-level activities
• For our diagnosticians at the school level, their diagnoses are educational diagnoses.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• rates in a couple of get into the class rates in a couple of slides<00:08:45.240> here<00:08:
• But if you look at the third column on this table, you can see that property types with higher class
• property types with higher class rates.
• and then uses some of those funds to partially offset taxes at the local level.
• level level and<00:46:57.680> then<00:46:57.880> uses<00:46:58.319> some<00:46:

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Tax Committee met to hear a House Research presentation from Jared Swanson on Minnesota’s property tax system. Before the presentation, the chair announced that the committee would put the governor’s budget on hold until the department could provide the information needed for a proper hearing. The committee then approved the prior meeting minutes without objection. Swanson gave an overview of how property taxes are structured and collected in Minnesota, explaining that the state uses a levy-based system in which local governments set levies and counties collect and distribute payments. He described the property tax cycle, the difference between referendum market value and net tax capacity, and how classification rates shift tax burdens among property types. He also outlined the state general property tax, noting it is split between commercial-industrial property and seasonal recreational property, and reviewed how Minnesota compares with other states, with residential taxes generally around the middle and commercial-industrial taxes relatively higher. The presentation also covered major property tax relief and aid programs. Swanson explained three broad relief mechanisms: shifting burdens through exclusions and classification rates, state-paid credits and refunds, and state aid to local governments or levy reductions. He discussed local government aid (LGA), township aid, and county program aid (CPA), including their funding levels, formulas, and general-purpose nature. Members asked why some cities receive no LGA and how the funds may be used; Swanson said cities with strong tax bases often receive zero aid and that the money generally can be used for the same purposes as property tax revenue. No votes were taken on the presentation itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• How does OHE ensure that they're taking the right classes? How does the council...
• their class in their major study change?
• But I think just at a very, very basic level, and Representative Coulter talked about...
• Well, I think really it's to figure out, on a basic level, what are your gifts and talents?
• These are well-paying jobs, and they help to propel our graduates into the middle class or better.

Bills: HF2634, HF2241, HF2649, HF2520, HF2610

Keywords: North Star Promise, scholarship, higher education, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, in-demand jobs, workforce development, career training, job market, high-demand occupations, high-demand industries, college aid, state financial aid, FAFSA, student eligibility, program of study, degree program, certificate program, community college, university, labor market data

Transcript Highlights:

• And then that particular class line, uh, it's accounting in 2152.
• And there is a class line on the 504 class line that indicates that any remaining funds must be paid
• And there is a class line on the 2152.
• And there is a class line on the 504<00:08:20.400> class<00:08:20.720> line<00:08:20.960
• <00:21:40.720> the because they've exceeded the levels the because they've exceeded the levels

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Fiscal Committee met on December 19, with Senators Long and Lang serving as replacements. The committee approved the November 21 minutes and adopted the consent calendar after removing two Department of Health and Human Services items for separate discussion. It then took up an HHS request involving nursing facility rates, where Nathan White explained that $2.2 million would be transferred from a long-term care Medicaid eligibility contract to the nursing facilities budget. He said the funds would offset an otherwise projected 3.9% average rate decrease and bring the overall average change to zero for the next six months, with rates reset again in July under state law. Members asked about the budget adjustment factor, bed counts, and whether additional funds could raise rates further; White said the factor is statutory, capped at 28.76%, and that more money would lower the factor and increase rates. The committee also corrected a date in the request from February 1, 2025 to February 1, 2026, and approved the item. The committee next approved another HHS item related to rural health transformation grants. Members confirmed the request covered the full amount applied for this biennium, and asked about the technology component. HHS said the grant is not solely about AI, but about broader technology improvements such as electronic medical records, back-end systems, and tools to improve access and sustainability in underserved areas. The committee approved that item as well. The Judicial Council then requested funds for contract attorneys providing indigent defense on a fixed-fee basis. The council said current funds had already been exhausted and that the new appropriation would be used immediately. Members questioned the size of the request and the number of people awaiting counsel; the council reported about 150 incarcerated people and about 300 non-incarcerated people waiting for counsel, more than in recent years. It attributed the increase to competition for attorneys, public defender offices closing intake in some locations because of caseload limits, and broader case and court-system changes. One member raised constitutional concerns about delays in counsel for incarcerated defendants. The committee ultimately amended the request downward to $1 million, approved it, and then approved a motion to place several annual financial reports on file and release them to the public when available. The committee also discussed dashboard reporting from HHS, asking for more detail on community mental health center caseloads and budget-reduction information, and HHS agreed to provide more useful monthly detail.

Transcript Highlights:

• Bought Auto is a Level Four truck developer.
• At the federal level, the regulatory body is the Department of Transportation.
• Chairman, driver's ed classes might look a little different when we get there.
• Number one, you're tilted; your truck's not level. You don't sleep well as it is in a truck.
• Our critical needs are $11.4 million at the district level.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are receiving these trainings and the curriculum and the classes.
• And it was good to see that 65% did know at the post-grad level that they are getting that training.
• So this gives us some vision into what needs to be discussed with students at the high school level.
• they are receiving these trainings and these the curriculum and the classes and so how can we better
• Lots of the traditional entry-level jobs are disappearing.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Employment Subcommittee of the Permit Commission on Status of Persons with Disabilities met on April 27 and approved the prior meeting minutes before hearing a presentation from the Lawrence Partnership for Transition to Employment (LPTE). Presenters from UMass Boston’s Institute for Community Inclusion, the Arc of Greater Haverhill-Newburyport, Northeast, and Lawrence Public Schools described LPTE as a five-year grant focused on improving transition outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Lawrence through community partnerships, work groups, and family engagement. A major focus was a family survey designed to better understand barriers to transition planning and IEP participation. Presenters said the survey response rate increased sharply after Lawrence Public Schools helped distribute it, rising from about a dozen responses to more than 200. Survey findings showed common barriers such as scheduling conflicts, language access, childcare, transportation, and limited understanding of IEPs and transition planning. The data also suggested that many families expect college or employment outcomes for their children, but fewer reported access to pre-employment training, indicating a communication gap rather than a lack of services. Lawrence school staff explained that the district has a five-person transition team, bilingual resources, workshops, and a developing online transition hub, and that they are using the survey results to improve visibility and access to existing supports. Committee members discussed the need to start transition planning earlier, expand real-world work experiences, improve outreach to Latino families, and better connect students with college, trade, and employment pathways. Several members suggested partnerships with summer youth employment, volunteer programs, and college or alumni panels. The presenters said the grant ends in September, but the resource hub will continue through the Arc and they are exploring ways to sustain the consortium model. The meeting ended with thanks to the presenters, an update that committee members would meet with Seed on Massachusetts as a model employer, and notice that the next meeting would feature the Office of Veteran Affairs before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have world-class physicians, nurses, and hospitals.
• Twenty years after the Wrongful Death Act was enacted in 1990, an expansion was made to the class of
• It creates a class of Floridians whose deaths from negligence the state effectively ignores.
• Certainly sorry for the loss, and I think only God can intimately know the level of that loss.
• I want to talk about is this concept of justice, that there's no justice to be sought unless this class

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met to consider HB 6003, a bill to repeal Florida’s “free kill” law that limits certain survivors’ ability to recover non-economic damages in medical negligence wrongful death cases. The sponsor, Rep. Trabulsy, said the bill would restore access to the courts for a small class of families and noted the measure passed both chambers last year before being vetoed by the governor. She and supporters framed the bill as a fairness and constitutional issue, while opponents argued repeal would increase malpractice exposure, insurance costs, and pressure on physician access, especially in high-risk specialties and rural areas. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters included family members who described deaths they said were caused by medical negligence and who argued the current law denies accountability and equal treatment based on marital status or whether a decedent had minor children. Opponents included the Florida Hospital Association, Florida Medical Association, Florida Chamber, U.S. Chamber, Florida Insurance Council, and other health care and business groups, who warned that repeal could worsen already high malpractice premiums, contribute to physician shortages, and destabilize access to care. Several speakers on both sides discussed possible caps on non-economic damages as a compromise, though the bill itself was presented as a clean repealer with no amendments. During debate, several members spoke in support, emphasizing equal access to the courts and rejecting the idea that the law should treat some families differently from others. Opponents of the bill argued that the current system helps preserve market stability and that liability concerns, not the free kill law, are driving provider departures. After closing remarks from the sponsor, the committee voted 15 yeas and 1 nay to report HB 6003 favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• The funding would help builder classes.
• the additional classes. the additional classes.
• <00:45:10.480> Okay, higher level. Okay, higher level.
• >> higher level. >> higher level. >> Higher<00:45:50.319> level.
• long-term care pedium um lease level. long-term care pedium um lease level.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:34.200> Windows type of film on on ground level Windows type of film on on ground level
• It had individual classes: one was a building aid class, one was an adequacy class, and one was an EFA
• class.
• away from creating special classes and instead use the existing classes.
• What does that class look like?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division II committee heard a Department of Education budget presentation from Commissioner Frank Edelblut and CFO Tammy Valen-cour. The department outlined its organizational structure and emphasized that it functions largely as a flow-through agency for school funding. The commissioner reviewed general fund and Education Trust Fund items, including state aid, dropout prevention, special education, building aid, lease aid, charter schools, Education Freedom Accounts, and the district adequacy calculation. He also highlighted the public school infrastructure fund, saying the state has invested well over $50 million in school safety since 2018 for measures such as access controls, locks, and window film, and argued that safety spending should be ongoing rather than reactive. Members asked about the variability in the school infrastructure line, special education aid, and the Discovery Education learning platform. Edelblut explained that some safety funding had come from one-time surplus appropriations rather than the agency line, and said special education aid was underappropriated because districts submitted more invoices than expected; he said the governor added $16 million to address the shortfall. He also described CTE renovation funding, noting four projects were initially proposed but only Jaffrey and Milford were still moving forward, with local votes required and the state covering 75% of costs. He said Milford’s project was omitted from the governor’s budget by oversight. The department also reviewed enrollment trends, noting public school enrollment has fallen from about 230,000 students in 2002 to about 185,000 today. Edelblut clarified that charter students are not eligible for Education Freedom Accounts, while EFA students attending non-public schools are counted as EFA students. He described several one-time surplus-funded initiatives, including Student Clearinghouse, MTSSB work, civics curriculum development, computer science education, and adult education. He also discussed a $4 million CTE tuition and transportation grant, saying it was kept as a competitive grant rather than a formula grant to avoid creating an ongoing maintenance-of-effort commitment that could jeopardize federal Perkins funding. In the final portion, Edelblut identified prioritized needs in the department’s budget, especially funding for a state administrator for assessment to support the legislatively required civics assessment, and additional support for the Discovery Education platform. He said every school in the state is using the platform and cited more than 1.5 million educator engagements, while a member raised concerns about mixed reviews and uneven district awareness of the program. No votes or formal actions were taken during the presentation and question period.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not making value judgments here at the state level right now.
• Yeah, I don't have that level of market detail. You know why?
• level.”
• ” “...state level.
• Marijuana is illegal at the federal level.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're going to break up our levels into micro levels.
• , you move three micro levels.
• level two and three.
• Level 1 means you need a little bit more support than others. Level 2, a little less. Level 3.
• We have five classes.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 4, 2026 minutes, and received a lengthy Department of Public Instruction presentation from Stanley Schauer Jr. on North Dakota student performance data in math and ELA, with comparisons between students with disabilities and students without disabilities. Schauer explained the assessment systems used, the 1% alternate assessment cap for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, the absence of 2019-20 data due to the pandemic, and how state standards are set by North Dakota educators. Members asked about cohort trends, the role of alternate assessments, grade-level patterns, and whether the state should focus more on reducing the novice category than on moving students from approaching to proficient. Schauer also discussed the new NDA Plus assessment, the state’s planned growth model, and the possibility of future breakdowns by disability category or by schools using science-of-math approaches. Special education educators testified that students with disabilities continued to receive services during COVID because of FAPE obligations, which likely helped limit learning loss, and emphasized that IEP teams focus on individual growth rather than only proficiency buckets. Committee members then shifted to special education funding and possible funding models. Brandon Bombach of Grand Forks Public Schools presented on the state aid formula, focusing on the special education weighting factor and arguing that the current formula does not adequately respond to growing student needs because it counts enrollment but does not adjust when the number of students with IEPs rises. He used examples to show that a district can have the same enrollment and receive the same weighting even if the number of students needing services increases. Members discussed whether the formula should be tied more closely to actual need and accountability, and the chair indicated that the committee would continue gathering data and ideas for a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also taught students at every grade level, from first through 12th, across English, math, history,
• I think we're going to end up doing a few rounds as a matter of level setting.
• I look at that structure and I say we're creating different levels of injustice.
• So, in other words, there may be layered levels of protection.
• Can we have an approach maybe with a coordinator that deals with protected classes?

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee held an informational hearing on AB 715, followed by discussion of SB 48. AB 715 was presented by Assembly Members Zbur and Addis as a response to rising anti-Semitism in California schools. They described incidents involving harassment, swastikas, biased classroom materials, and students feeling unsafe, and said the bill would create an Office of Civil Rights with coordinators to address anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, provide prevention resources, and support school districts. Witnesses in support, including a rabbi and a student who described personal experiences with anti-Semitic harassment, urged immediate action to protect Jewish students. Opposition testimony came from the California Teachers Association, county superintendents, school board groups, labor organizations, civil liberties advocates, ethnic studies educators, and many community members. Their main concerns were that the bill was rushed, had not been fully vetted in the Assembly Education Committee, and could chill classroom speech or create constitutional problems, especially around language requiring instruction and materials to be “factually accurate” and not based on advocacy, bias, or partisanship. Several opponents argued that anti-Semitism should be addressed through education, training, and restorative practices rather than new statutory restrictions. Some witnesses also raised concerns about the bill’s impact on ethnic studies and free speech. Committee members then debated the bill’s process and substance at length. The authors said the bill had been narrowed through negotiations with education stakeholders and the Senate, that some disputed provisions would be revisited in cleanup language, and that the urgency of anti-Semitic incidents required action now. Several members expressed support for the bill’s goal but criticized the late release of the final language and the lack of consultation with the Assembly committee. Others emphasized the need to protect Jewish students immediately and argued the bill was a necessary response to a real crisis. The transcript does not show a final vote on AB 715 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• EMV uh is referred to as constant class EMV uh is referred to as constant class EMV<01:03:26.319
• So again that class and the normal EMV.
• also bigger gaps in that constant class also bigger gaps in that constant class market<01:11:25.120
• Uh again looking at that constant class Uh again looking at that constant class uh<01:16:24.000>
• class and the nominal<01:16:34.239> EMV.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that gets down to the NDC level or the drug level itself.
• So to level set, I've been collecting data on our patients, and...
• So let's just level set on that for a minute.
• Chachai, the GPO level, it sounds like you have tried to dig in at every level of the drug supply chain
• Chachai, before you do that, I just... you talked about every level of the drug supply chain.

Bills: SB511, SB512, HB591, HB909, HB938, HB1154, HB1187

Keywords: automobile repairs, insurance transparency, repair shop liability, non-OEM parts, policyholder rights, automobile insurance, appraisal process, insurance policyholders, dispute resolution, claim valuation, family leave, insurance, paid leave, employment benefits, caregiver support, behavioral health, crisis services, mental health care, insurance coverage, healthcare access

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill increases the three classification tiers applied to Class 1C homestead resort properties, also
• Class 1C resort properties generally must be devoted to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy
• This bill increases the three classification tiers applied to Class 1C homestead properties.
• <00:03:54.079> 1C these properties or 45% of all class 1C these properties or 45% of all class
• <00:15:48.680> just big highlights on a personal level just big highlights on a personal level

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I didn't know when I came here what it really meant and the weight that we all carry and the level
• And I just have to say I love my caucus so much and I love the Corona class so much.
• <00:01:18.200> carry<00:01:18.760> and<00:01:18.920> the<00:01:19.000> level
• <00:01:19.400> of we all carry and the level of we all carry and the level of responsibility
• Um I This is work Corona class so much.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Representative Reyer delivered a farewell floor speech as she prepared to move to the Senate, thanking House staff, colleagues on both sides of the aisle, her predecessors Laurie Halverson and Sandy Meehan, her constituents, family, caucus, and the “Corona class.” She reflected on entering the House during early COVID, after George Floyd’s murder and amid wildfire smoke, and said her constituents sent her to fight for justice, affordable health care, and a future where Minnesotans can afford their lives. She highlighted policy accomplishments she said were often bipartisan, including medical debt and garnishment reform, treatment access for children with rare diseases, support for Medicaid dental care, housing and bonding funding, solar on public buildings, and stability for soil and water conservation districts. She also pointed to disappointments, saying the House had seen health care stripped from immigrant neighbors, duplicate health plans, families left without needed home care, underinvestment in disability services, and no Republican support for protecting people from future ICE incursions. Reyer closed by calling for protection of human rights, including for queer and trans people, reproductive rights, immigrants, tribal sovereignty, and voting rights, and urged members to listen to one another, honor agreements, reject divisiveness, and govern with compassion. She also thanked Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman for her leadership. The transcript does not indicate any vote or formal action taken during the speech.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the ten-year cycle, as you know, to consider the level of funding for HAF funding.
• 700 students this spring, and we expect to have more than 1,000 students by this fall taking online classes
• Member: Last session, I think that in the funding, there was a level that you expected to get, and perhaps
• An adequate level of state investment is essential to providing high quality educational opportunities
• Additionally, we ask the legislature for formula funding levels that recognize enrollment growth and

Transcript Highlights:

• predictable source of revenue from which we can plan. 10-year cycle, as you know, to consider the level
• in the state's investment will allow Texas State to deliver so much more of our affordable, world-class
• I think that in the funding, there was a level that you expected. to get, and perhaps that didn't wind
• An adequate level of state investment is essential. providing high quality educational opportunities
• Additionally, we ask that legislature for formula funding levels that recognize enrollment growth and

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They want to level the playing field for homegrown charter schools.
• I did hear that familiar phrase we hear all the time, level the playing field.
• Can you explain more of what you mean by level the playing field for me? Certainly.
• So to me, leveling the playing field is ensuring that the extent to which a parent... ...that the extent
• into three separate class titles.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from Tom Franta, founding executive director of the Mountaineer Charter School Alliance. He described the new nonprofit’s goals of supporting West Virginia charter schools through advocacy, legal and compliance assistance, shared operational services, professional development, communications, and network-building. Franta emphasized that charter schools face major facility and financing challenges, and he urged use of existing public buildings, low-interest revolving loans, credit enhancement tools through the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, and federal matching funds to help level the playing field for charter schools, including both brick-and-mortar and virtual schools. Members asked about what he meant by “level the playing field,” and Franta said charter schools receive 99% of basic state aid but lack access to the full range of public education funding and dedicated facilities support, forcing them to divert dollars toward buildings rather than classrooms. He said the goal is to ensure parents choosing a public charter option can expect appropriate funding. After the presentation, the chair announced Senate Bill 171 was removed from the day’s agenda. The committee then considered Senate Bill 166, which creates an exception to West Virginia Invest grant eligibility so individuals who already have a post-secondary degree may still receive support if pursuing an associate degree or certificate in emergency medical services. The committee reported the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass, and under the original double committee reference, first be referred to the Finance Committee. Next, the committee took up Senate Bill 428, with a committee substitute that splits the bus operator title into three pay grades based on years of service and raises the cafeteria manager title from pay grade D to E. Senators asked whether duties would change; counsel and the sponsor said the bill is intended as a retention incentive, with no change in responsibilities, and that the fiscal note would remain the same. The committee adopted the committee substitute and then reported the bill to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation, again first referring it to the Finance Committee. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kentel and class president of the senior class. She serves as Ms.
• Her favorite class is English.
• Her favorite class is English.
• Her favorite class is English.
• At the regional level, Mr.

Keywords: 996, all